One of the fun things about making a record of the food you purchase each week is noticing trends in your eating habits. Obviously, we are impacted by the seasons and pricing, but beyond that, there are still some habits emerging. I’ve noticed we eat a lot of clementines in the winter months, when they are more price friendly and other fruit tends to be more pricey. Bananas never change price and we never change in the amount or frequency we eat them. Post pregnancy, I’ve been eating a ton of blackberries. Like bananas, they’re an easy snack at 3am. But unlike bananas, they fluctuate frequently in price.
Luckily, they’ve been on the lower end of the price range lately, between $.99 and $1.67. When they go back to up $2.50, $3 I’m going to need to find another snack. Or I’ll just use it as an excuse to eat more cheese.
Writing down your food purchases also be helpful in identifying what a particularly good price is for something. Ground Turkey can sometimes be $2.50 a pound, the lowest it goes at my store, and knowing that helps me find different protein options when they’re asking $4 a pound. Every blue moon, my Kroger discounts sausage to $2 a pound, and you better believe I’m spending $20 on sausage that day. You can also use that knowledge to hunt for manager’s specials. When I know that London Broil is sometimes sale priced out at $2.99 a pound, I’ll check for that first, before spending $5.99 a pound on “clearanced” steak, which is really just sticker changed to be a dollar less expensive.
Identifying waste is another way recapping my grocery trips has helped me. For a while I was buying canned tomatoes every time I went to the store. It was just a habit. We go through a lot of canned tomato, so I thought I was replacing what we had used. But I was ALSO buying a ton of cans whenever there was an in-store sale. The result? My tomato supply was off the charts and I noticed it on the recaps I type up every week before I noticed it in my pantry. I love a good stockpile as much as the next couponer, but at this point I’m pretty sure I can make a fort for my children from canned tomatoes.
With growing appetites in my house, I’ve been struggling with staying on budget. Not purchasing something when I don’t need it and there is no sale for is one way I am looking to reign myself in for 2019.
- Bell Peppers (4)-$5. In store sale!
- Blackberries, 6 oz (4)-$4. In store sale, $.99 each.
- Boar’s Head Sandwich Pepperoni, .75 lb-$6.92.
- Boar’s Head Honey Maple Turkey, 1 lb-$10.49.
- Clementines, 3 lbs-$4.49.
- Heritage Farm Chicken Breasts, 10.27 lbs-$20.37. Welcome back to the menu, chicken breasts!
- Highland Cheddar Cheese-$3.57.
- Kroger Rice -$1.99.
- Kroger Whole Milk, 1 gallon-$1.99.
- Mangoes (3)-$2.04. $.68 each with in store sale.
- Pt. Reyes Blue Cheese-$3.57.
- Private Selection Angus Steak, 2.47 lbs-$11.13.
- Private Selection Chipotle Salsa-$2.59.
- Private Selection Whole Wheat Bread-$1.99.
- Private Selection Ice Cream, .5 gallon-$4.49.
- Whole Pineapple-$.99. In-store produce sale.
- Apps I’ll submit to: Fetch Rewards, Ibotta ($.20 off Any Item)
Total Budget: $94.04
Total Spent: $86.91
Total Saved: $20.09
Rolled Over to Next Trip: $7.13
The new year is a great time to assess spending habits and best practices. Do you track or record what you buy from week to week? What are you looking to improve on with grocery shopping in 2019? Give me the run down in the comments!
Kristen B. is wife to the best Prince around, mama to the spunkiest little princesses, and lover of all things Disney. She started her savings journey three years ago and is now dedicated to making her family’s wishes come true one coupon at a time. She is so excited to take her love of saving to the next level and share her journey with you! Click here to catch up on Kristen’s Savings and join in on your own savings adventure!